The Premier Magazine For Home Fashions

Trend Focus

Brand Stories

By Wanda Jankowski

Exploring the world of branding today via developments in licensed and in-house lines

Groupe Fremaux Delorme Acquires Christian FischbacherOn Jan. 7, 2019, Groupe Fremaux Delorme announced the acquisition of Christian Fischbacher. Group Fremaux Delorme includes the Yves Delorme, Olivier Desforges, Ralph Lauren Home, Kenzo Maison, Sonia Rykiel Maison and Hugo Boss Home brands with the IOSIS and Laurence Tavernier brands under license. Based in St. Gall, Switzerland, Christian Fischbacher is a leading luxury brand in the German, Swiss and Austrian markets. Its acquisition is in line with Groupe Fremaux Delorme’s strategy to gain further momentum in the international home linens market through strong brands. According to Dominique Fremaux, chairman of Group Fremaux Delorme, the Christian Fischbacher name and its Swiss roots will be maintained.What does the Christian Fischbacher brand add to the Groupe Fremaux Delorme portfolio? Fremaux explains, “Christian Fishbacher has a very different style in the way that it is panel prints and very simple stitching, so it gives a contemporary look. All the designs are handmade, always very light on a pure white ground. There are also some figurative patterns, like skiers or golfers, but done in an old fashioned way, and on a duvet-cover you cannot see two times the same skier or golfer due to the technique of panel print, for which Christian Fishbacher is unique in bed linens in the world.“The satin is done with a very long-staple American cotton, which gives it a unique smooth touch,” says Fremaux. “The price point is a little bit higher than Yves Delorme, knowing that all manufacturing is Swiss.”

Shown (above) from Christian Fischbacher is the elegant Luxury Nights Collection made to measure only. The bed linens are artfully embroidered on fine cotton satin, linen, silk and crisp poplin. Other details include flanges and hemstitching.

Shown (above) from the Yves Delorme brand is Pavot bedding from the Fall/Winter 29108 Collection. Delicate poppies on fragile stalks are paired with round nasturtium leaves. The design reinterprets for today the botanical plates of the past, with their observation of flowers, attention to detail and elaborate illustrations. The floral display is rendered in deep tones of petrol blue, moss green, burnt orange and yellow that brighten the wintery white percale. Yves Delorme, 800-322-3911, yvesdelorme.com

Lenzing Debuts TENCEL™ Fibers With REFIBRA™ For Home

The Lenzing Group debuted at the January 2019 Heimtextil event REFIBRA™ technology for the home sector. Products made out of TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers with REFIBRA™ technology unite two innovations: the eco-friendly, closed-loop production process of TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers and the upcycling of a substantial proportion of cotton scraps. Combining wood pulp with pulp made from leftover cotton scraps from cutting operations, new virgin TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers are produced to make yarns and fabrics for home textiles.Lenzing also has developed a new identification system to assure customers that the purchased products with TENCEL™ produced with REFIBRA™ technology are really made out of the sustainable TENCEL™ Lyocell fiber. The new TENCEL™ with REFIBRA™ technology can be used in a range of goods, including towels, bed linens and filled products.

All properties of TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers stay in the products as usual. So bed linens and comforters would have high moisture absorbency and anti-bacterial growth. In addition, the smooth fiber surface makes bed linen gentle on skin. Towels with TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers with REFIBRA™ technology keep the original fiber characteristics and stay soft after repeated washes.Lenzing, 212-944-7898, lenzing.com

Karastan 2019 Rugs Debut In New & Expanded Showrooms

Karastan took a new approach to the January 2019 Atlanta Rug Market by showcasing woven collections in its state-of-the-art new showroom space in the Mohawk Home office in Sugar Valley, GA, instead of the previous Karastan showroom in AmericasMart. Open by appointment only, the new showroom exhibits the full Mohawk Home and Karastan product lines and allows Karastan to offer one-on-one meetings with its customers year-round.Also in 2019, the Karastan brand is expanding its showrooms in both Las Vegas and High Point to create more dynamic product introductions and provide better speed-to-market.A thriving line within the Karastan brand is Scott Living, created in collaboration with HGTV’s “Property Brothers” stars, Drew and Jonathan Scott. Twenty new styles in Scott Living’s Artisan and Expression groupings have been introduced during the Winter 2019 Markets.

The Artisan Collection patterns are crafted in look, made with Karastan’s exclusive SmartStrand Silk yarn for comfort, and built-in stain and soil resistance. Created with Karastan’s exclusive EverStrand recycled polyester yarn, the Expressions Collection presents designs that are casual, modern and soft. The abstract Solstice design (above) is from the Expressions Collection by Scott Living.Other 2019 introductions from the Karastan line include the Zanzibar and Mosaic Collections. Durable Zanzibar rugs blend SmartStrand with New Zealand wool and feature traditional patterns in rich jewel tones. The matte finish of the wool contrasts with the sheen of SmartStrand Silk, adding texture and surface variation to the designs. The Mosaic Collection is woven with a combination of SmartStrand and EverStrand fibers. Both durable and soft, SmartStrand is made partially of renewable resources, and EverStrand is produced from recycled plastic bottles. Karastan designers have included hints of a reflex yarn in Mosaic rugs, which feature 56 shades of color, to allow for carved details and a high/low pile.Karastan, 800-845-8877, karastan.com

Hamam Continues Expansion Into Bedding

Known for its high-quality towels and bathrobes, Hamam continues its expansion into bedding begun in 2018. The company seeks to fill a void by offering new and novelty yarns, constructions and dyeing techniques. The Ultra Soft Aerospin blankets (below) are knit with 100 percent Turkish cotton using Aerospin technology that allows for extra softness and durability. The 92- by 96-inch blankets are available in several different woven patterns, colors and sizes created to add coziness and warmth to any bedroom or living room.Hamam, 646-590-3891, hamam.eu/en

Revman Continues To Create Fresh Looks For New & Established Brands

From the Laura Ashley brand (top), the Lorene design continues the line’s tradition of soft, feminine florals, but is contemporized through the use of on-trend gray and taupe neutrals and the watercolor technique rendering of blooms. From the ED/Ellen DeGeneres line, Pacifica presents the modern look of hand-painted stripes. Touches of texture and whimsy are added with decorative pillows from the line. Revman International, Inc., 212-894-3100, revman.com

Kas Adds Fresh Options To Popular Licensed Lines

In addition to Kas Rugs’ success with the Libby Langdon Hamptons Collection of outdoor rugs, the company is introducing new options in its other licensed lines as well. Shown (left) is one of the designs from the Bob Mackie Home Vintage Collection—a grouping of vintage traditional patterns that incorporate Mackie’s singular flair for color. The plush, .5-inch pile rug is machine woven in Belgium with polypropylene frisee yarn. Shown (right) from the Hang Ten: Malibu Collection is an easy, breezy sophisticated design handwoven with 100 percent polyester in India. The plush and chunky weave is finished off with tassels on the rug corners.Kas Rugs, Inc., 800-967-4254, kasrugs.com

J. Queen New York Continues To Capture Retail Space Through In-House Brands

J. Queen New York is known for developing in-house brands, each with its own style focus and/or price point range. The company’s brands include J. Queen, J Brand, Piper & Wright, Royal Court, and Oscar | Oliver. Product categories cover the full range of home textiles, from tabletop, window and bath to fashion and basic bedding. Shown are the Anna (below) bedding ensemble with window treatments from Piper & Wright and the Soho bath ensemble (right) from the J. Queen line.J. Queen New York, 212-414-1555, jqueen-ny.com

SoftTex Launches Sleep Addict & Refreshes EcoPEDIC

In January 2019, Soft-Tex International launched the Sleep Addict brand of luxury bedding for furniture retailers in youthful, on-trend packaging (shown above). “Sleep Addict is sure to be the next aspirational brand customers will be bragging about to their friends. The brand offers unique imagery and packaging from what’s out there in the white goods space as well as features spanning cooling, wellness and ultimate luxury stories,” notes Chris Marsh, chief marketing officer, Soft-Tex. Debuted at the January 2019 Las Vegas Market were pillows, mattress protectors and sheets spanning three collections developed around each of these features and benefits: wellness, luxury, and cooling. Information on the brand is captured on its own website at sleepaddict.com.Soft-Tex also showcased a refreshed assortment of all its product lines including expanded presentations of wellness pillows (right) and protectors, sheets, organic and eco-conscious product under the EcoPEDIC brand. Every product in the EcoPEDIC brand has an eco-conscious story, whether in the cover, fill, packaging, shipping carton or all of those. The brand features a leaf rating system to help the consumer understand the level of eco-friendliness embedded in each product—the greater number of leaves, the greater the eco-attributes. Details on the line are presented at ecopedicbedding.com.Soft-Tex International, 800-366-2324, soft-tex.com